Presentation Cane Walking Stick Knob

This presentation cane or walking stick knob named to Alfred Steckel was originally on an ebony stick until someone sawed it off for reasons unknown. The knob looks to be gold filled and is very heavy indicating that it must be weighted. The engraved inscription reads “ Presented to Alfred Steckel December 24, 1889” around the edge and “Editor Excelsior Milwaukee” in the center.
So who was Alfred? According to his obituary in The Weekly Wisconsin March 27, 1897 issue Alfred Steckel was born January 25, 1846 in Winzenheim Germany which was in the Upper Alsace-Lorraine region. His parents brought him to the United States in 1857. The family lived in Detroit for some years. Steckel then left Detroit to go to New York where he learned the printers trade and then went to Milwaukee. In Milwaukee he worked on various papers for eight years until he and his brother bought an interest in the Excelsior and became it‘s editor. The Excelsior was a progressive German Catholic weekly. Alfred was also secretary of the German Catholic Central Society of the United States. He was also a prominent member of various German church societies and the Deutscher Maenner and Music Vereins. Alfred Steckel died of pneumonia one month before he, his wife and their eight children planned to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary.